The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for orienting plates, particularly seed plates which in an electrolytic refining plant are conveyed by a manufacturing line conveyer to a predetermined location where it is required to reorient the plates from their horizontal attitude on the above conveyer to an upright attitude which the plates have while they are further transported by a transporting conveyer.
Such plates when conveyed by the manufacturing line conveyer are in a condition attached to one or more suspension lugs which in turn are engaged by a supporting rod.
Thus, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for handling plates of the above type so that they can be reoriented from their horizontal attitude on the manufacturing line conveyer to an upright attitude in which they are suspended from the transporting conveyer.
Seed plates in electrolytic refining plants are initial or starting plates on which a cathode grows during the electrolysis operation. These seed plates are manufactured along a manufacturing line which is provided with means for cutting and straightening the seed plates as well as with means for feeding the supporting rods and means for feeding and bending strips which form the suspension lugs, the latter being riveted by a riveting press to the plates, although the suspension lugs can also be spot-welded to the seed plate with the supporting rod remaining in a loop which is formed on each suspension lug strip. Thus, the completed seed plates are fixed with one or more suspension lugs the loops of which receive a supporting rod and are conveyed by way the manufacturing line conveyer to a location where the plates are raised by way of a suitable raising means and are then caused to hang from the supporting rod in a vertical position while carried by a seed plate storage or collecting conveyer or any other desired conveyer which serves to transport the seed plates for further treatment.
A raising means for changing the orientation of such seed plates have already been disclosed, for example, in Swedish Pat. No. 329,011. The raising means shown in the latter patent consists of a horizontal table which is arranged to turn about an axis. The turning movement of this table is carried out by way of a hydraulic cylinder. However, experience has shown that the operation of this raising means forms the slowest step in the seed plate manufacturing line, inasmuch as all other functions which take place along the seed plate manufacturing line conveyer must wait for the return motion of the raising means. Therefore, with the prior art method and apparatus it is not possible to achieve an operating speed greater than that which is permitted by the necessity of raising and reorienting the plates, so that this latter part of the method and apparatus in the known manufacturing lines presents a serious limitation on the output.